The present invention relates to audio preamplifiers, and more particularly, to audio preamplifiers of electron tube construction having reverb, tremolo, and vibrato effects.
Electron tube preamplifiers offer combinations of features including reverb, tremolo and vibrato effects. Also, electron tube power amplifiers offer combinations of these effects. The available amplifiers offer various subsets of the above features. However, a need exists for a preamplifier of electron tube construction wherein the tremolo and vibrato effects may be alternately selected and independent reverb simultaneously mixed into the output signal.
Typically, electron tube preamplifiers and power amplifiers having reverb effects are large and thus difficult to carry. The need for a compact electron tube preamplifier having reverb, tremolo and vibrato effects currently exists.
Preamplifiers employing solid state construction offer features including reverb, tremolo and vibrato effects. While such solid state preamplifiers offer combinations of the above features, they do not provide the audio characteristics of electron tube amplifiers sought after by musical artists. Furthermore, such amplifiers do not generally offer continuously variable control over the characteristics of the effects and instead offer fixed preset levels thus limiting the artist's range of expression.
Finally, some musical artists express a preference for amplifiers of "vintage" electron tube design which typically do not offer the variety of effects discussed above. While a preamplifier of solid state construction would be capable of introducing the above combination of effects for use with an electron tube amplifier, its use would conflict with the artist's preference for electron tube amplifiers, their characteristics and their appeal. Thus, a need exists for an electron tube preamplifier having reverb, tremolo, and vibrato effects usable in conjunction with electron tube amplifiers.